Celtics Keep Rolling With Hippie-Ball, Clip L.A.: 106-104

Paul Pierce. The Captain. The Truth.

Can we just close our eyes and ruminate on what The Truth is still doing to teams after 14 clutch-filled seasons at 36 years of age?

 

Thanks. Let's carry on...

WHEW!!! Like a friend of mine used to say, that game was like finding a shark in your bathtub -- it's much closer than you ever wanted it to be.

The Celtics started this game much as they have the past three -- playing great defense and sharing the ball to equate a firm double-digit lead for much of the game. Unfortunately, the Clippers shoved a big spoonful of "ShuttyUppie" (thanks, King of Queens!) into the faces of all of the so-called fans who have been robotically regurgitating the idea that the Celtics are better off without Rajon Rondo. The Clippers cut the Celtics' lead to 2 in the 4th quarter by exposing the C's shortcomings in the half-court offense, a place where someone with Rondo's unparalleled passing, driving and court vision can make the difference.

Fortunately for the Celtics, they still have THIS guy:

 

Paul Pierce did what he has done in more games during his career than I could remember even if I HAD a good memory -- he calmly, ruthlessly and deliciously drained a three to slam the door on any LaLa Land dreams of a Clipper comeback.

Late-game lapses notwithstanding, the Celtics continued to move the ball and gang rebound to get themselves another win PR&S (Post Rondo and Sully), notching the 4th in a row and moving up a stair above the .500 mark.

Sure, the Clippers were without All-Star point guard Chris Paul, but let's not even think about playing the injury game, people.

Enough can not be said about the Celtics bench in this one. As a collective, the bench outscored the Clipper reserves -- 52-29. As individuals, there was a LOT to be excited about: Jeff Green continued to back up his new "I got heart" signature celebration move by gliding and jump-shooting his way to 14 points on 4-6 shooting (3-3 on 3's), 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Jason Terry lit his turbos and took off into Jet-mode with 13 points and a team-high 6 assists while Leandro Barbosa blurred into action for 14 points. Hell, even Jason Collins got into the books with more points than fouls, scoring 7 in the game.

The starters? Well, as mentioned above, Pierce dropped the game winner on Matt Barns' "Uncle Creepy" dome, and he ended the game with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. How's that for washed-up trade bait, Haters?

Kevin Garnett contributed 12 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 head game against Blake Griffin (20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists), frustrating him at key junctures. New starter (same as the old starter) Brandon Bass mustered 9 points, 8 rebounds and a career-tying 4 assists.

And, while Courtney Lee and Avery Bradley didn't put much in the scoring column (11 points between them), their defense on guard Eric Bledsoe (23 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds), the hot-first-half-having Caron Butler (18 points) and the always deadly Jamal Crawford (23 points, 6 assists) was also timely.

While it's clear that the Celtics are indeed a formidable bunch for any team to take on, they'll need some work on half-court sets when the speed game bogs down. But, if Doc and the C's can figure out how to keep it crisp and run on teams for the rest of the season, there are going to be a LOT of coaches sighing with relief when they draw a first-round matchup against the Miami's, Brooklyn's, Indiana's and Chicago's of the world.

One more note about The Captain: today, with that game-winning 3, Paul Pierce moved ahead of sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic and into 6th place in all-time 3-pointers made with 1,761 and counting. Now THAT's the Truth!

Box Score

Tale Of The Tape

Presto! Celtics Keep On Winning, Work Magic Against Orlando: 97-84

Boy, I tell ya...if any more Celtics get hurt, they're liable to win the Championship!

By now, only the Celtics fans living under a satellite-jamming rock haven't heard that not only has the team lost the All-Star stylings of Rajon Rondo due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but they are now without the services of rookie extraordinaire Jared Sullinger thanks to a herniated disk that required surgery.

These season-ending injuries to key players have been accepted as devastating news by fan, foe and talking head alike, but all the Celtics have done is turn, smile at the cameras and politely flash the middle finger at the pundits who all-but-buried-them as they just keep on winning.

Tonight, against a Magic team facing their own injury problems (Glen "Big Baby" Davis recently broke his foot) the Celtics continued their newfangled brand of Big Love basketball, beating on Orlando from the 2nd quarter forward (when Kevin Garnett did his best impression of a house doused in gasoline catching fire) in another game that featured multiple scorers sharing equal time with a plethora of distributors. Sure, the Magic at one point did get the score down to three, but when you out-assist your opponent (a whopping 30 to 19), out-rebound your opponent (48-47), and outshoot your opponent (50% to 37.9%), chances are you're going to win the game.

Captain Paul Pierce led his team to victory with 14 points, 11 rebounds,  7 assists and 1 steal; while Kevin Garnett kept on partying like it was 1999 with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist and 1 block. Four other Celtics scored in double figures, including Courtney Lee (with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals), Jason Terry (with 12 points and 5 assists), and Leandro Barbosa (who scored 12 to go with 4 assists and 2 rebounds.

But, the big story was Jeff Green, who continued his recent assault on the aggress-o-meter scoring 17 points (including a couple of seriously emphatic dunks), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 3 (3!!) blocks.

Most notable player for the Orlando Magic as far as the Celtics were concerned was old pal E'Twaun Moore, who scored 14 points 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal; though Orlando did turn out 5 double-digit scorers of their own.

Next up? The Los Angeles Clippers and the chance to move one game ahead of .500.

Box Score

Tale Of The Tape

THE BUZZ:

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
@ 1:00 p.m.
The Boston Garden, Boston, MA

Death By 1,000 Cuts: Celtics Gutted By Clippers 106-77

SCENARIO 1:

If Doc Rivers suited up in his old Clippers uniform at halftime, cast a spell on the rest of the team to make them believe that he was still their starting point guard and then proceeded to strategically turn the ball over on every single possession to put their opponents in prime scoring position, the Celtics STILL wouldn't have won this game.

SCENARIO 2:

If a member of the Celtics paid the Staples Center maintenance team to "accidentally" shut off the lights at the start of the 3rd quarter, the Celtics STILL wouldn't have won this game.

SCENARIO 3:

If the Celtics played patient, team-oriented basketball and stayed home on defense, they might still have lost this game because their new 10 is still learning how to play together with the original 4 in Doc's system and the Clippers happen to be one of the best teams in the League, but they DAMN sure wouldn't have lost this game by a ludicrous 29 points -- their worst loss of the season and the worst loss vs. the Clippers in Celtics team history.

Look, I don't want to pile on with the negative commentary about this team because I am still a firm believer that they're going to figure it out and turn it around for a great Playoff run. But, the one thing that there is just never EVER an excuse for is not trying and not playing hard, which is what this team did once their second and third attempts to cut into the lead were rebuffed by Chris Paul (11 assists), Blake Griffin (15 points, 8 boards) and company.    

While it's understandable that frustration can set in for a team with a new cast that's coming along slower than expected, no Celtic team from 2008 to the present has done anything but compete hard on most nights, even in blowout losses. Tonight, members of the Green appeared to get down on themselves and this led to half-hearted, lazy passes and 18 turnovers against a team that absolutely thrives on the run off of turnovers. The Clippers, meanwhile, only had 8 giveaways.

And, it wasn't just the turnovers...role players like Matt Barnes (21 points on 5-9 three-point shooting) and Caron Butler (14 points) joined super-sub Jamal Crawford (17 points) in throwing up 53 bench points against the Celtics' 29 pine points.

The highlights -- if you can call them that and maintain your integrity -- were these: Kevin Garnett had 16 points on 6-11 shooting. Courtney Lee had 12 rather inconsequential points. About the only real thrill offered by this game if you happen to be a Celtic fan was Paul Pierce's move into 24th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, passing Elgin Baylor and his 23,149 points, with Adrien Dantley in the 23rd spot at 23,177 points looking over his shoulder at the rapidly approaching Truth.

Lowlights? Let me just sum the game up with this stat: Rajon Rondo and Jason Terry combined to shoot 8 for 22.

Folks, as I said...it will get better. This team is going to figure it out. The houses that they pass along the journey may be dilapidated and painted with ugly pea-green paint, but the destination is Club Med. They just have to believe in each other and the system that Doc is preaching. It's coming, C's fans. Stay true. It's coming...

Next up: The Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at 10:30 p.m.

Tale Of The Tape

Box Score

C's Fans Get Christmas Wishes Answered As Boston Gives Nets The Brooklyn Bounce: 93-76

Rondo showed Reggie Evans and the Nets the door in front
of a national audience during their Christmas Day tilt

 

Now that I've recovered from my food-induced Christmas coma, I'll state the obvious: fans got one major-league present from the Celtics, who rolled over the Brooklyn Nets, and the C's are now 1-0 to start the Jarvis Varnado era.

After much hand-wringing and countless fairweathers leaping from their bandwagon, the Celtics gave the naysayers pause as they treated their nationally televised game against the Brooklyn Nets like a coming-out party for their new-and-improved "Smother-D," handing the Nets their largest loss of the season.

As some of those Captain Francesco Schettino's slowly start to row their lifeboats through the shadows and attempt to climb back aboard during the High C's, allow me to throw a lightly moistened blanket over this mostly-excellent win.

To be sure, this Brooklyn Nets team is not the same team that the C's lost to 83-95 in the aftermath of Rondo's ejection during Krumphries-Gate, nor is it even the 97-102 team that the C's almost beat -- again without the Maestro -- near the beginning of the season. This is a dispirited group that has lost ten times over their past 13 games. That's right -- the Nets are 3-10 in December, and life didn't get any better for them in the game they played against the Bucks two nights after their pasting at the hands of the Celtics during the NBA's Christmas Day Spectacular.

This is not intended to take anything away from all of the things the C's did right in this game: the level of defensive ferocity; the improved offensive execution; a dominant night for Rondo with 19 points on 50% shooting, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals; Paul Pierce's masterful showcase of his ability to affect the game in so many more ways than just scoring with a season high 10 assists; the great contribution that the Celtics got off the bench from Jeff Green (15 points on 5-8 shooting including a clutch shot from Threeland) and rookie Jared Sullinger (16 points on 6-7 shooting , 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and impressive defense on Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche).

No, the Celtics were aggressive and effective more than the Nets were inept and disjointed. After all, the C's did force 20 turnovers from the Nets and outrebounded their larger opponents 41-36 -- something you don't hear everyday when talking about the C's.

But, my suspicion is that the C's are closer to their recent Nets gain as opposed to their Bulls-crappy performance in their loss against Chicago a few games back. They're continuing to improve in fits and starts as they incorporate the new 10 with the 4 starters from last year (Avery Bradley should be back aaaany minute to make it 5 originals from last year), and we'll begin to see more and more games like the Christmas present and fewer like the Detroit debacle earlier in the year. There will be some clunkers to be sure, but the C's have been starting to figure out who they are (and are not), and the new players are beginning to understand what Doc expects from them night-in and night-out.

One thing's for sure, though...it's going to be an exciting game when the Celtics and Nets match up again on Wednesday, April 10th as the C's will undoubtedly look build their Playoff momentum and try to even the series against Brooklyn -- these teams do NOT like each other and it's almost certain that the Bad Blood will continue.

Tale Of The Tape

Box Score

And now we move to the...WestSIDE!!

THE BUZZ:

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Thursday, December 27th, 2012
@ Staples Arena, L.A., California
10:30 p.m.